This study re-examines the prevalent view of classical social theorist, Auguste Comte and contemporary social theorist,Gerhard Lenski. Both social theorists are important figures in terms of social change and social development.Therefore, within context, the notion of social change theories, its relations and cause of social change are discussed,followed by an outline of the concepts of both theorists. Next, it deals with what the two perspectives share in commonand compares the differences between them. The study revealed that the two perspectives are fundamentally differentbecause Comte focused on the development of human thought while Lenski focused on social change and developmentas a result of technology. In this respect, the determinants of social change and development emerge from withinsociety itself; the deepest and the most important disagreement lies between those who see the mental or spiritualevolution of society as the main driving force of history and those who see the role of technology as its root cause.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the information-seeking behaviors of police officers who work in police stations in the context of staying current. Leckie et al.’s (1996) model of the information-seeking behavior of professionals is tested. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative research design was employed for data collection. The sample includes 642 cases. It is both descriptive and exploratory. Findings – Police officers first rely upon their personal knowledge and experience, then their colleagues and then official documents. On the other hand, they rarely consulted informants, libraries, journals, books, and attendance at conferences as information sources. There were significant differences in the information sources used by police officers based on their gender in the context of staying current. Lastly, the results of this study indicated that service years in policing and the roles in police station were significantly correlated with the information sources used by police officers regarding staying current. Originality/value – This study, being the first, provides a huge theoretical base for future studies. It contributes to the discipline of information science by validating a theoretical model in a different context. In addition, it contributes to public safety by understanding the frontline police officers’ information needs and information-seeking behavior.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract